


A Chenford Valentine’s Day

by Chenford_Army_7A19



Category: The Rookie (TV 2018)
Genre: Cute, Domestic Fluff, Pre-Relationship, Subtle (but not-so-subtle flirting), Sweet, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-16 08:14:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29450610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chenford_Army_7A19/pseuds/Chenford_Army_7A19
Summary: Tim and Lucy both discover they’re going to be alone for Valentines Day and decide to spend it together (after an invite from Lucy).
Relationships: Tim Bradford & Lucy Chen, Tim Bradford/Lucy Chen
Comments: 6
Kudos: 65





	A Chenford Valentine’s Day

**Author's Note:**

> So this is just a quick little one-shot I wrote in like a day and a half. I just really wanted to write a Valentine’s Day piece, but I thought it might be fun to write a pre-relationship fic as well, and this is the result. I hope it’s ok because again, I wrote it relatively quickly and only proofread it like once. Anyways, I hope you enjoy it! Don’t forget to leave kudos and comments/feedback if you want!

_“So, are you and Rachel doing anything special together for Valentine’s Day?”_ Lucy asked Tim as they casually chatted before roll call. 

Her question was met with a scoff and a signature Tim Bradford eye roll. 

_“No. She’s in New York. I’m here. What could we possibly do together on opposite sides of the country? And besides that, Valentine’s Day is a ridiculous made-up holiday designed to sell things...candy, cards, flowers, those obnoxiously large teddy bears and all that crap...and to make single people feel even more single. It’s a stupid holiday. I just don’t get the appeal of it.”_ he mumbled in response _“You and Emmet have plans?”_

Lucy pouted and sulked. 

_“No. He didn’t tell you? I figured he’d have told you by now.”_ she groaned. 

Tim hadn’t talked to Emmet in a while, but by the stark shift in Lucy’s mood, he was fairly certain he knew what she was about to tell him. 

_“Tell me what? I haven’t seen him in a while. And we don’t normally talk about you when I do see him anyways.”_ he asked somewhat sarcastically, but with a tinge of sympathy. 

_“Um...Emmet and I broke up...like, 3 weeks ago. He’s a great guy, but things between us just kind of fizzled out. Either he was always working or I was. We barely got to see each other outside of work. But it was completely mutual and there are no hard feelings between us. I’m…”_

Before she could finish, Sergeant Grey walked in, and she had to hurry back to her seat up front with John and Jackson. 

_“Alright! Listen up. It’s Valentine’s Day, and you know what that means! It’s the most romantic day of the year for most...but, breakups and broken hearts...and jealousy and revenge, make it the most dangerous day of the year for us. So don’t let your guards down, be extra vigilant, stay safe and go fight some crime! That’s all.”_

All the officers in the room headed off to get to work. 

  
  
  


Tim and Lucy had lucked out on patrol so far. They were over halfway through their shift with no more than a few noise complaints and a couple traffic citations. 

_“So, you’re going to be alone tonight. I’ve got no plans. You could come over to my apartment. I could fix dinner, we could have a couple beers, maybe watch a movie or something. Wallow in our loneliness and self-pity together? As friends. I mean, if Rachel’s ok with us spending Valentine’s Day together.”_ Lucy suggested, breaking the silence they’d been sitting in most of the day so far. 

Tim sighed and glanced over at her. 

_“Yeah, sure. Whatever. Rachel won’t care. I wasn’t going to say anything, but we broke up too. I really did love her, but like I said when she left, long-distance never works. We both agreed that things between us, although great, would probably never work out with her in New York and me here in L.A. She deserves to be happy...not pining for her West Coast boyfriend.”_ he told Lucy glumly. 

_“Oh Tim. I’m so sorry. You guys were really great together! But you’re ok, right? I know today brings up a lot and now with a fresh break-up…”_ she softly sighed.

Tim held up his hand, cutting Lucy off

_“Ok. I’m going to stop you right there. I’m fine. You don’t need to worry about me. So, what time should I come over tonight? Wait...what about Jackson? What’ll he say about us hanging out together on Valentine’s Day?”_

Lucy shrugged. 

_“He’s not going to be home. Unlike us, he’s actually in a relationship and is spending his Valentine’s Day evening, and more than likely, night, with Sterling.”_ she assured him _“Oh. And how about 7:30? You know, if it stays quiet and we actually manage to get off on time today!”_

Her eyes went wide as soon as she said the q word. 

Tim glared over at her immediately before turning his attention back to the road. 

_“Boot. I swear…”_

As if by magic, the radio crackled to life. 

_“7-ADAM-19, domestic disturbance at 6420 S Las Palmas Ave. Caller advises they can hear yelling coming from inside the house, as well as things being thrown around. No record of previous incidents at this address. 6420 S Las Palmas Ave.”_ the voice from dispatch, which they recognized as Nell’s, said. 

Tim and Lucy exchanged a brief glance. 

_“Call it in and light em up boot!”_ Tim nodded. 

Lucy grabbed the radio. 

_“Dispatch, 7-ADAM-19. Show us responding, en route, code 3. We’re about 5 minutes out.”_ she responded, hitting the lights and sirens as she set the radio back down. 

They pulled to a stop on the curb outside the house and could hear an intense yelling match going on inside the house, as well as the unmistakable sound of glass breaking. 

Before they got out of the shop, Tim radioed for backup. 

Jackson’s voice came over the radio. 

_“Dispatch, 7-ADAM-07 show us responding on 7-ADAM-19’s domestic. ETA 2 minutes.”_

Jackson and Angela pulled up and Angela jumped out, followed closely behind by Jackson. 

Tim and Lucy were already at the door. 

_“POLICE! OPEN UP! NOW!”_ Tim shouted. 

A woman who looked to be in her early to mid-thirties, with dark blonde hair and several cuts and bruises on her arms opened the door. 

_“Hi. I’m so sorry. Everything’s fine here! I just found my lying, cheating, no good, piece of crap fiancé in bed with my roommate! He and I just had a few words!”_ the woman grinned mischievously. 

_“Wow. Sounds like you dodged a bullet. But we’re gonna need to talk to both your fiancé and roommate just to make sure everything’s alright.”_ Lucy told her, a bit of sympathy laced in her voice.

The roommate and the cheating fiancé sauntered out into view before the woman could call for them. 

_“You need to arrest this crazy…”_ the woman identified as the roommate began, before the other woman cut in. 

_“CRAZY?!? YOU WERE IN BED WITH MY_ **_FIANCÉ_ ** _YOU LITTLE...”_

The man took off running straight out the back door. 

_“Lopez! West! He’s running.”_ Tim called out. 

The two took off in opposite directions around the back of the house. It didn’t take long at all for Jackson to get the man on the ground, into handcuffs, rolled back over, and up onto his feet. 

_“Why’d you run? Huh?”_ Jackson questioned.

_“She came after me first! I swear! It was self defense! Hannah is CRAZY!”_ the man shouted. 

_“Hannah? Is that your fiancée? The one you just cheated on with her roommate? I’d go pretty crazy too if I found my fiancé in bed with someone else. But don’t worry, we’ll take her in too. And the roommate.”_ Jackson told him as they walked back to the shop. 

It wasn’t much longer before everyone involved was taken into the station for questioning. 

The processing and paperwork took Tim and Lucy to the end of their shift. 

_“Man. It’s calls like this that almost make me glad I’m single!”_ Tim sighed, rubbing his temples. 

_“Yeah. Definitely. I’ve had the great ‘pleasure’ of being cheated on. And then they invited me to their wedding. Although, honestly I was just dating the guy because I couldn’t afford to move out...I’m pretty sure I’ve told you about this before.”_

_“Yeah, I remember you telling me about it that time I helped you get a roach for their wedding present. I still don’t understand how anyone could be dumb enough to cheat on you. Clearly he was an idiot and didn’t deserve you.”_

She tearfully giggled, completely taken aback by everything Tim had just said. 

_“Wow. That was...really sweet, actually. Officer Bradford...are you going soft on me? I always knew you were actually a big softie...a teddy bear, if you will!”_ she grinned ever so slightly, biting down on her lip. Her gaze never left his face. 

_“No. I am absolutely NOT!”_ he argued defensively. 

_“Ooh! How dare I! We wouldn’t want it getting out that the hardass T.O Tim Bradford is capable of showing human emotion.”_ Lucy teased.

Tim rolled his eyes and glanced down at his watch. 

_“Ok. You know what? Shift’s over. I’m gonna clock out and head home.”_ he jokingly scowled, pushing himself up and out of the chair. 

Lucy gave him a hilariously dramatic sad stare, complete with big brown puppy dog eyes. 

_“Yeah? Am I still going to see you at my place later? I’m fixing zucchini noodle fettuccine with caprese garlic bread for dinner and I got an amaretto chocolate cheesecake from Harriet’s for dessert!”_

_“I mean, free food is free food, so I guess I’ll be over later. 7:30, right?”_ he half-grinned. 

Lucy smirked. 

_“Wow. Ok. ‘Free food is free food?’ Really? Is that the only reason you accepted the invite? To come over and steal my food? And on Valentine’s Day, no less!_ she teased.

_“Goodbye Lucy. I’ll see you at 7!”_ Tim chuckled, walking away towards the locker rooms _“You’d better hurry up...it’s already 6:45!”_

_“I said 7:30! You get there any earlier and you’re waiting out in the hall for half an hour! I’m not kidding Tim!”_ she yelled through pursed lips as she chased after him. 

She was answered by the locker room door slamming shut behind Tim. 

_“TIM! I KNOW YOU HEARD WHAT I JUST SAID! I’M NOT PLAYING, BRADFORD!_

  
  


**7:30: Lucy’s Apartment**

Lucy was just adding the finishing touches to dinner when she heard a knock on the door. 

She turned the stovetop off and rushed over to open it. 

Tim, a good-sized box of chocolates, a bottle of wine, and a small stuffed koala with a mini balloon tied to its arm greeted her.

Lucy couldn’t help but laugh. 

_“What is all this? I thought you said Valentine’s Day was stupid and made up to sell ‘candy and cards and stuffed bears and all that crap.’ Also, did you just go buy all of this on your way over? Because I didn’t invite you over for dinner until just this afternoon in the shop!”_ she all but interrogated him. 

_“First of all...this is technically NOT a bear...it’s a koala. And second, it just seemed like...uh...I could tell how much you love Valentine’s Day and how hard your break-up with Emmet was, especially as close as it was to today, and I just thought maybe, this stuff would...mmh, no. Never mind.”_ he mumbled uncharacteristically bashfully and flustered. 

Lucy’s eyebrow raised with curiosity. Her interest was piqued. 

_“You thought what? That a box of chocolates and a stuffed animal would cheer me up?”_ she took a long pause, holding Tim nervously in suspense. _“Well, it worked! And it was really sweet, honestly, it was, but you didn’t have to do this! But I do appreciate it! I didn’t get you anything though, so I hope free food will make up for it!”_ she beamed, gesturing towards the large island in the middle of the kitchen, her radiant smile melting Tim’s heart. 

Lucy took the gifts from Tim, setting them on the coffee table by the couch on her way back to the kitchen. 

Tim had already made his way to the stove to check out the food. 

Lucy snuck up beside him, grabbing a clean fork from the sink on her way. 

She twirled some of the pasta around it and thrust it towards an unsuspecting Tim. 

_“Here! Try it! Does it taste alright? Does it need anything?”_

_“Mmfph…”_ he coughed and swallowed hard, _“This is incredible! It tastes amazing.”_ he assured her, his voice muffled by the forkful of food that had been unexpectedly shoved into his mouth.

A small bit of sauce coated his upper lip. Lucy grinned at the sight. 

_“Here. You’ve got a little something…”_ she began, reaching for his face, napkin in hand. 

Tim chuckled and dipped his finger into the pot before swiping it across Lucy’s nose, leaving a trail of alfredo sauce across it. 

_“You’ve got a little something too!”_ he laughed. 

Lucy reached for a small handful of pasta and chucked it at him, landing right in the middle of his face. 

He gasped in surprise and grabbed a handful too. He cocked his arm back, preparing to sling it at her. 

Lucy held her hand up, stopping him. 

_“WAIT! NO! DON’T. YOU. DARE! We have to save_ **_some_ ** _for dinner!”_ she exclaimed.

Tim glanced over his shoulder at the pot. 

_“Mmm...there’s plenty!”_ he shrugged, turning back to her and flinging his handful across the kitchen at her. 

It landed in Lucy’s hair. A few of the longer pieces draped down over her forehead, just barely covering her eyes. 

This elicited a boisterous laugh from Tim.

She carefully picked the strands of pasta out of her hair, tossing them back in his direction. 

Lucy was laughing so hard she accidentally snorted, which made Tim laugh even harder. 

_“Did you just...snort?”_ he wheezed. 

_“If I say yes, will you ever let me live it down?”_ she giggled. 

_“Oh, absolutely not!”_ He jested, a playfully mischievous grin on his face. 

Lucy just shook her head, her lips pressed tightly together. She gave him an eye roll as she grabbed the pasta and bread, turned around and set it on the counter, between the two spots she had set. 

_“You know what.”_ she huffed “ _Let’s just eat, I’m starving!”_ Lucy whined, as she walked around to the other side of the island and sat downZ 

Tim wiped the sauce from his face and rinsed his hands in the sink before joint Lucy. 

They were halfway through dinner when Lucy suddenly jumped up and rushed to the fridge. 

_“I almost forgot!! Do you want beer, wine, or other? I’ve got rum, tequila, and whiskey!”_ she asked, holding up a chilled bottle of moscato and an icy pint of beer. 

_“Uh. Beer’s fine.”_ he answered. 

Lucy tossed the pint in her hand to him. 

_“Heads up!”_ she shouted. 

Tim looked up and saw the bottle flying at him. 

_“Oh sh…”_ his years of playing quarterback in high school paid off as he reacted just in time and made a near-perfect catch. 

_“And that pass is COMPLETE!”_ Lucy grinned as she poured a glass of wine for herself. 

She sat back down and they finished their dinner and had some cheesecake. 

Tim helped Lucy clean up the kitchen, with minimal shenanigans. 

_“Ok. You go ahead and find something to watch. I have alfredo sauce caked in my hair, so I’m gonna go get it washed out. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”_ she said, slipping into her room. 

Tim sat on the couch, mindlessly flipping through shows and movies on Lucy’s Hulu account. He could hear the water running and he heard Lucy softly singing something he couldn’t quite make out. 

He listened to her voice intently, barely paying attention to the tv screen and not even noticing when the water was shut off. 

The door to her bedroom suddenly opening startled him. 

_“It was Etta James’ At Last. If you were wondering. Which you very obviously were. It’s been stuck in my head since I heard it on The Voice last night.”_ Lucy told him matter-of-factory, grinning knowingly. 

Tim blinked a few times, bringing himself out of the daze he’d been in while listening to Lucy. 

_“What? No. I wasn’t...ok, maybe I was. But you’ve got a beautiful voice. I’ve never heard you sing...well, really sing...like freely, happily...sorry. I didn’t mean to…”_ he stuttered and stumbled. 

Lucy smiled warmly. 

_“Really, it’s fine. You don’t have to apologize.”_ she chuckled, “ _I don’t care that you heard me. I like to sing in the shower...it calms me. And Jackson hears me all the time anyways, so yeah, it’s ok!”_ she insisted _“Now, did you find us something to watch?”_

He didn’t even have to say a word. The look on his face gave him away completely. 

_“That’s what I thought!”_ Lucy teased _“Scoot over and give me the remote.”_ she overdramatically sighed as she pushed him out of the way and flopped onto the couch, pulling her legs in underneath her so she was sitting cross-legged. 

Tim handed her the remote. 

_“Ooh! We should totally watch The Princess Bride! I love that movie! And it’s Valentine’s Day...the perfect day to watch it!”_ Lucy squealed excitedly. 

_“As you wish.”_ he winked. 

Lucy gasped, pleasantly surprised that, not only had Tim seen the movie, he was sitting here quoting it to her. 

_“Inconceivable! You’ve actually_ **_seen_ ** _The Princess Bride_ **_and_ ** _are willing to watch it again with me?”_ she asked, gaping in shock and disbelief. 

Tim crossed his arms and glared at her, much like he did a lot at work. 

_“Of course I’ve seen it! It’s a classic! And it’s one of my favorites! You could never watch it too many times! You got any popcorn?”_ he replied. 

Lucy got up and made some microwave popcorn, dumped it into a big bowl (adding peanut m&ms of course), carried it back over to the couch, and started the movie. 

They snacked on the popcorn; Lucy mainly eating the m&ms and Tim mainly eating the popcorn, occasionally tossing pieces of both at each other, trying to get the other to catch it in their mouth. 

The movie wasn’t even halfway to the halfway point before the popcorn was either eaten or scattered across the couch and floor. 

It was getting late and their shift had been long so they were both exhausted. But Tim and Lucy were determined to stay awake through the whole movie, going so far as to make bets on who would fall asleep first. 

_“20 bucks says you’re out cold before the halfway point.”_ Tim teased, pulling his money clip out. 

Lucy grinned mischievously. 

_“Yeah? Well I’ve got 20 dollars that says_ **_you_ ** _crash before the halftime!”_ Lucy countered.

20 minutes later, Tim and Lucy were both passed out on the couch. 

Tim was leaned back as far as he could go, his sock feet propped up on the coffee table, one arm stretched across the back of the couch, the other wrapped around Lucy, who was curled up against his side, her head resting on Tim’s shoulder, one arm slung across his stomach, hand resting on his hip. Her other hand rested in the warm grasp of Tim’s left hand. 

Over Tim’s loud snoring and Lucy’s gentle breaths, the final lines of the movie softly played. 

_“Maybe you could come over and read it again tomorrow?”_

Tim’s thumb ever-so-gently ran circles across the top of Lucy’s as the last line was spoken. 

_“As you wish.”_

The screen faded to black and the movie ended. 

So too did Tim and Lucy’s Valentine’s Day. 

  
  


**The End**

  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Well, what’d you think? Was it ok? Did you like it? I hope it wasn’t too terrible lol! Don’t forget to leave kudos and comments/feedback if you want! They’re much appreciated and I absolutely love reading them all!
> 
> Also, I’m still working on another fic that I’ve been working on for awhile but have had a lot of trouble with and am in the process of re-working some stuff with it. Hopefully I’ll have it finished soon-ish lol!


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